Espen Andersen Bråthen, the 37-year-old man charged with the murders at Kongsberg on Wednesday night, has been remanded in custody for four weeks.
He also has a letters and visits ban, as well as a media ban and full isolation for the first two weeks, according to a ruling in Buskerud District Court on Friday.
The defendant has agreed to imprisonment and acknowledged the facts of the case.
“I have no comment on this. He has agreed to imprisonment, so that really speaks for itself,” his lawyer Fredrik Neumann told NTB.
He also has no comment on how the accused approaches the question of guilt.
“I have no comment on any of the questions,” Neumann said.
“Extremely serious”
In the reasoning behind the decision, the district court referred to the seriousness of the case and the great national and international media interest in the case.
“Reference is made to the extremely serious nature of the case, which has also led to great media interest both nationally and internationally. If the accused is not protected from this and from other prisoners, important evidence could be lost,” the district court wrote.
The court also pointed out that a full observation of the accused must be carried out and believes it is important that it takes place without outside influence.
“The restrictions are not considered a disproportionate intervention and are sufficiently justified,” the court stated.
Handed over to the health service
The outcome is in line with what the police had requested in advance, police lawyer Anne Irén Svane Mathiassen told NTB earlier Friday.
She also confirmed that Bråthen was handed over to the health service on Thursday.
Neumann says his client will stay with the health service for as long as needed.
“He will stay there until the observation is complete. As far as I know, that’s what’s going on now,” he stated.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Be the first to comment on "Man charged with Kongsberg attack remanded in custody for four weeks"